There's Always Gold
by artistic.frizz
Summary: Years after the epic story of The Winchesters, three young hunters come of age together. The lines of the universe have been blurred, and these three know better than most.
1. Chapter 1

We'd told ourselves we were working a job, but the lead wasn't so much a lead as an escape route. Our last one had been rough. I'd barely gotten out unscathed. Our victims didn't. Ghouls could be rough. And though Ben had been injured that never mattered as much as it would to other people. Sometimes I wondered if it made us weak. Right now I was wondering if it made us stupid. Ben was out, tracking information - I just didn't have it in me. I felt heavy. Lost. I'd walked down the street to the liquor store, and with one of my several IDs, bought alcohol I wasn't quite ready for.

I drank heavily, trying to relieve the pressure on my mind. I knew it wasn't the best idea - but as far as I was concerned, I could be doing worse.

"Are you drunk?" Ben asked. I tilted my head back, a sarcastic smirk on my face.

"Would it be bad, if I were?" He sighed as I took another heavy swig.

"Bad's not the word. But I've been running with you for five years, now? And I haven't ever seen you drink."

"Join me," I said, leaning forward, offering him a glass of the peach schnapps I'd bought. He sniffed it once before putting it down.

"I'm more of a beer drinker."

"Yeah, yeah," I replied. "I bought you beer. It's in the fridge."

"Hey," he said. "My favorite!" He pulled one from the door, and popped the lid. Then there was a knock on the door. Ben answered as I took another drink.

It was Jesse. With his crew-cut brown hair and harsh gray eyes.

"Thanks for knocking," I said. He smirked at me, but he was carrying someone. A man. It added yet more bulk to his coated figure. I rose to my feet, and the alcohol hit me like a tidal wave. I sat back down.

"Are you drunk?" he asked. "Is she drunk?" He turned to Ben. Who shrugged - trying to deny responsibility, rather than my intoxication.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"This is Nate," Jesse told us, laying the injured figure on the bed. "He's a little torn up. Could you help me out, Lor?" I nodded, this time a little steadier on my feet as I moved to sit on the bed. My head was spinning and I still felt a bit like laughing.

"What happened to him?"

"A witch got a little frisky," Jesse told me. "He's just a little roughed up."

"Do you need anything?" Ben asked me. I shook my head.

"Probably a trip to the bathroom after this - but nothing for now. I just figure I'll be too dizzy afterwards to be useful. Nobody else get injured." I took a deep breath. "I'm going in." I pressed my hands against his chest - the most dangerous injury, and I lived the battle with him. The flesh of my mind tore as his was healed, and then I moved on. It was always an exhausting thing for me. Dizzying. Painful. But it was a useful talent of mine. And usually, after a heal, I slept.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke to a wet cloth on my face. I gasped. Jesse was tending to me.

"Shh," he said. It was still dark.

"Oh - what happened? How's the guy?"

"He's fine. He's sleeping again." He looked over his shoulder, and I followed his gaze. Yet another tall dark and handsome guy was lying on the spare bed. Ben was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, Ben went to get your headache meds. He figured you might have more than one kind of hangover when you finally woke up."

"Finally?"

"It's been about twenty hours."

"I've been asleep for twenty hours?" I exasperated, pushing myself up, he held me still with a hand on my shoulder.

"There abouts," he said. "It's fine, Loraine. Calm down."

"No. That's not good. It take me about three hours. I should be fine." I turned to look at the man on the other bed. "Is he human?" I asked.

"Of course," Jesse said. "I wouldn't bring you something you couldn't handle. I woudn't risk you like that," he told me.

"Not on purpose," I replied.

"Maybe it was just the booze," Jesse told me.

"Go get Ben," I said. "Now." Jesse gave me a look and then he was gone. I had time to throw back the blanket I was under and rise shakily to my feet before they were back.

"Lor, are you okay?" Ben said. He held a grocery basket. I reached into the basket and took out the medication he had intended to buy. I took four. Twice the dosage.

"Have you tested him? Silver? Iron? Holy water?"

"Uh," Ben was going to say no. I whirled on him.

"Do it now," I said. Ben got to work. He tested the guy in every known way. It was the splash of holy water that woke him.

"What the hell?" he barked, sitting up with a start.

"What are you?" I hissed, stepping closer. He scrambled to his feet.

"Catholic?" he answered. I jumped over the bed, pressing him to the wall.

"You know what I'm asking. What are you?"

"Human!" he answered.

"Then why," I began, "did you knock me on my ass for a whole day?"

"Maybe you're getting rusty," he said, forcing a grin.

"Bullshit!" I shouted. I threw my finger up toward his face. That's when Ben pulled me back.

"Loraine it was probably the drinking. Maybe you pushed yourself harder than usual. You wrapped it up pretty quickly. Maybe there was more internal damage than you realized."

"That's too many maybes," I said. "Do you guys know what happens when I take it too hard? I'm weaker. I could die. I could lose my ability. Because I don't know where the line is, Ben."

"It scared me, too," Ben said. I shoved him.

"It's not about me being scared," I said. "It's about me ending up useless. It's about me possibly exploding and killing everyone in a five mile radius." I was being a little dramatic - but as far as I knew it could be true. For a long time I'd been afraid to even use my power. My anger was overwhelming me.

"Then you shouldn't have done it," Jesse said. My eyes narrowed.

"You're right, Jesse. I shouldn't have." I stepped into my ballet flats and walked out the door. I kicked at the gravel that lined the parking-lot. The dingy room was both my safety and my hell at the moment. I was already beginning to burn with the shame of the temper flare-up. I pulled a few quarters out of the pocket of my jeans, I drank the soda slowly and then paced. I went back in about twenty minutes later. Jesse and Nate were gone when I came back.

"Is he mad at me?" I asked Ben.

"Not that I could tell. He tried to wait for you, but Nate wanted to go." I nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I need to sleep some more."

"You do that. I'll go hustle up some money and some food. I'll be back in a few hours. Are you okay?" I took two more of the headache pills. They weren't being as effective as I wanted them to be.

"Yeah, from what I can tell. It's fine. Go. I might call Jesse. But I'm mostly going to sleep." He nodded before walking out. I picked up my phone, but simply put it back down before climbing into my bed again.

The sun was up when I woke again. It didn't seem like Ben had been back. I checked the clock. It was almost noon. I sighed, before dialing his number. He didn't answer. The next several times I called he didn't answer. I was suddenly starving, too. Nervous and starving. I stalked to the fridge as I dialed for Jesse. It went to voice mail.

"Hey, Jesse. Um, one, I'm sorry for my tantrum. Two, Ben is missing. Which is... really not like him," I finished with a sigh. I started asking around after that. I stopped in at the nearest fast food place - always where he would have stopped. They had no idea. The goofy picture on my phone of the two of us was information enough, I was sure of it. But it didn't work out. No one I talked to had any ideas. It was almost six when Jesse called me back.

"Loraine, are you okay?" It was a strained question.

"Are you okay?" I asked immediately.

"Uh," he coughed softly. "Mostly."

"Can you poof over here to me? From wherever you are."

"Yeah. I'll be in your hotel room." I hurried back, stopping for food myself, a ridiculously unhealthy burger for him, and the majority of their chicken nuggets for myself. I was ravenous. I crammed several into my mouth as I drove.

I was still a bit out of sorts. But if Jesse needed to be healed, I definitely had to eat. He was laying on the first bed, blood dripping from the boot that hung off the end of the bed.

"Oh my god!" I gasped. "Jesse! Are you okay?" I rubbed a hand over his chest, touching gingerly, sensing the source of his pain. He grunted. I prepared to just dive in but I think he sensed it.

"No," he said.

"What?"

"Don't." I scoffed.

"Jesse you're bleeding! You're..." I paused. The revelation coming with the word. "I think you're dying!"

"And what'll happen - " he choked. "If you join in on this?" I didn't know the answer to that. But it wouldn't slow me down.

"We're going to find out," I said.

"Are you strong enough?"

"Do I have a choice?" I replied.

"I'll last," he paused again. His eyes were still closed. "I'll last the day. Prep. You have time."

"You're losing a lot of blood," I told him.

"I can still pin you to the ceiling if I have to," he said. "You know I can." He'd never used any of his powers against me. I wasn't sure if he would. I sat next to him and I ate. His burger, my nuggets. Everything until I was ready to burst. Food and sleep, if I weren't useful I would have been ashamed. But it just wasn't his condition that made me so nervous. Ben was still out there. Missing or injured or both. We were silent for a while but I noticed his consciousness begin to fade.

"What happened to you?" I asked as I drank my soda. Caffeine was always a friend of mine.

"That guy Nate? He's the son of a witch." I pictured his form, everything I'd learned about him when I was under with him. I felt anger, now.

"He did this?"

"No. His mother, we'd taken out her sister-witches, and she wanted to take us out. Me. Not her baby. Her demon got the drop on me."

"I see."

"Unusual, I know. But I was trying to save her."

"I know," I said. I placed my hand on his knee. The blood was almost dry. "It's time." He nodded, swallowing hard.

"Pull out if..." I shook my head.

"Not an option. This is, in fact, do or die." I could see he was weaker. I had to stop wasting time. I lay next to him, and wrapped my arms around his torso. I'd already examined his wounds. I just had to act on it. I lay my head against his wounded shoulder, and then I was gone.

We rode death together. I saw a reaper. He followed us. But I was here to pull him back from the ledge, and I did. Three times. In this world that only I could find. As powerful as he was, death was still on the other side waiting for him. We muddled through the fog for days.


	3. Chapter 3

"Loraine," he mumbled. He was speaking into my hair. I could feel his breath tickle against my ear. He brought his hand up to rub my arm. I was still wrapped around him and there was a second where I felt a flutter of intimacy. I think he did, too. When I pulled back to look at him he smiled.

"What time is it?" I asked, groping in the dim room for my phone. We'd been like that for about forty-five minutes.

"How long has it been?"

"Not as long as it feels," I said. I rolled off the bed, dialing Ben's number again.

"Now that you're tip-top, let's go find Ben," I said as the phone went straight to voicemail. My head was spinning a bit. My powers were all over the place, it seemed. But the food had definitely helped.

"Yeah. Any leads?" he asked me.

"None at all."

"I'll scry for him." I waited while he worked. Always I was weaker after I healed someone. I drank the soda that was left - my ice had melted. "Got him," he announced, about thirty minutes later. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine," I answered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Let's go." He slid comfortably into Ben's car. I wasn't sure if it was because he needed the mojo-rest or it was for my benefit, but we drove about fifteen miles north of the motel. It was a run-down factory. Jesse stepped out of the chevy and breathed deeply.

"Vampires," he exhaled.

"Awesome."

"Maybe you should stay in the car."

"Yeah right. What if he's hurt? What if you need backup?"

"What are you going to do? Wink at them?"

"No," I replied, pulling out my blade. He smirked at me. "I'm not kidding."

"You're not a warrior, Loraine. Who are you kidding?"

"Shut up, Jesse. I'm not like you guys but I'm not useless."

"Well. Come on then." He watched me stalk toward the window he pointed to and boosted me up. I wriggled through easily, my boots steady on the sill. It was a steep drop, but Jesse popped over without issue, and helped me down. We fought through two vampires. Well, he did. He worked hard to keep me completely out of harm's way. When we got to the room they had Ben tied in, my blade was still clean. I ran over to him without a thought - Jesse was right. I wasn't a warrior. I wasn't a hunter. I untied him quickly but before I turned I was grabbed around the throat. A silver haired woman tilted my head back, exposing my neck. I was somewhat regretting the ponytail.

"Let her go," Ben roared, picking up the knife I'd dropped. Jesse didn't give him the chance to do anything with it. He ripped the thing's head off. "I'm infected," Ben said. We stopped to look at him. "I haven't fed. They just infected me."

"Keep it that way," Jesse said. He blinked us out to the truck. I was riding bitch. Which happened when both boys were around and there was still just one vehicle. By the time we were back at the room Ben was looking at me like I was Thanksgiving dinner. He didn't seem to want Jesse's blood. Just mine. He was irritable. Angry.

"We'll need time to get the cure together."

"I got the blood already," Ben said. "I knew we would need it." He'd scooped it into his flask. The next hour was tense. Jesse would blink in and back out, dropping ingredients and leaving again. His whole teleporting thing was pretty useful, usually. "You know it was Jesse, right?"

"What?" I asked. Jesse had just blinked back out of the room.

"Who got me into the game."

"I thought... I thought Dean Winchester had influenced you?"

"Oh, yeah. Dean did plenty. But it was Jesse who woke it up."

"Woke it up?"

"I'd been blocked. You heard about Castiel and everything. I think he was the one who erased my memory. My mom's."

"Dean did that?"

"I respect his decision, you know. Take out the heartbreak for my mom, the trauma for me." He smiled coldly, his eyes clearly burning even in the dim light. "It was Jesse who came back, touched my forehead and then asked me what I knew. Jesse gave me back my destiny."

"You think this is your destiny?" I replied, mixing the herbs.

"I met you because of it, didn't I?" He stared at me and then looked away. I don't think he realized I saw him lick his lips. It was tense. "But that doesn't matter, does it. Not to you."

"What do you-"

"I see how you look at him," Ben hissed. He leaned forward, still sitting on the bed. I suddenly wished we'd tied him down. He was beside me in a second. "Like he's just... better." My mouth gaped. I didn't know what to say. I didn't have particularly romantic feelings for either of them.

"I didn't realize..." I began. He laughed coldly, smelling my hair. I gripped the knife I had in my pocket. I wasn't sure if I had it in me. When Ben pressed his luck, pressing me against the wall behind the table I'd been working at, I stabbed him. He barely flinched - but it seemed to wake him up a bit.

"Sorry," he said, practically running to the other end of the room. Jesse returned.

"This is the last of it," he said quickly, setting down a small jar. Then he noticed the fresh wound on Ben's shoulder. He looked at me. "Did he attack you?"

"Not exactly." I didn't meet Jesse's gaze. He whirled to Ben - but I walked around him, thrusting the large glass into Ben's hands. "Drink it down before I stab you again." I stepped back, Jesse continued to watch me but I still avoided his eyes. I sat on my bed, watching as Ben stumbled into the bathroom. I heard him retch.

"Did he hurt you?" Jesse demanded. I shook my head. "Loraine! Look at me." I looked up. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Feeling a little vulnerable, but fine."

"Okay," he said with a little nod. We both looked toward the bathroom.

"It actually went pretty smooth, didn't it?" I commented. He looked at me. "The nest, I mean." He nodded again.

"Yeah. I don't usually have trouble."

"How nice," Ben said. He was emerging from the restroom, a surpicious blue liquid smeared across his lips. I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"Nothing," I replied, pressing a hand to my stomach.

"You didn't have to stab me," he told me.

"I didn't know that," I replied, setting my jaw.

"I wouldn't have hurt you."

"I didn't know that either." Jesse stood aside, quiet. "Thankyou for coming, Jesse."

"I needed to, anyway."

"What, did she heal you?" Ben asked.

"Yeah," Jesse replied. Ben scoffed quietly.

"That's a little irresponsible, don't you think?"

"Excuse me?" I piped in.

"Healing that Nate guy almost killed you. Then you want to lend yourself to a half-demon." Jesse laughed aloud.

"Ben!" I gasped. We didn't really talk about it. And Jesse certainly preferred the formal term, rather than the colloquialism.

"I'm not kidding. You don't know what set off your reaction with Nate. Not really."

"I know that I've always had an easier time healing Jesse than anyone else. Probably because of the Demon thing," I explained.

"Of course," Ben replied. Jesse and I looked at one another.

"Jesse, maybe you should head out. Call me if you need anything." I wouldn't have tolerated a fight between them. Jesse leveled a stare at me - and then he was gone.

"What, hiding him from me, now?" Ben asked. I sat down.

"Do you want me to fix your shoulder?"

"No, I think I'll suffer."

"Okay." I paused, watching him lay down, facing away from me. "Should we talk about whatever is on your mind?"

"No," he told me. I half expected him to finish the sentence as he'd finished the last. But he just sighed. I usually would have told him to actually wear something to sleep in - instead of his jeans. He didn't even seem to mind the dried blood on his bed. I fell asleep pretty quickly. I would be up early, I told myself. Bring him breakfast.


	4. Chapter 4

My dreams were wild that night. I was running, flying. I was powerful. And there was a shadowy figure who spoke to me in a language I didn't recognize and couldn't reproduce when I woke. He led me down a hallway, and through a forest, and finally up a narrowing cliff. It was there that he pushed me, and where I floated gently down to a beach. I walked into the water and I didn't float. And the moment I was submerged, I woke.

My alarm hadn't gone off yet. It was just after seven. I went out for coffee and donuts and breakfast burritos. Then I sat quietly at the desk, eating donut holes and drinking my very tasty caramel something-or-other. Ben rose probably thirty minutes after I got back. The food was still warm. I gestured to it and he nodded sleepily before heading for the restroom. I ate in silence, focusing on my research and tracking a pattern that had cropped up in the nearest large city. I explained it to him when he emerged, freshly showered. He listened intensely and I explained that it was probably some kind of ghost.

We'd been driving for almost an hour when he sighed heavily and pulled to the side. I looked up from my puzzle-book.

"Look, Loraine. I know you have questions." I shrugged, frowning at him. "I was being pretty rude last night. I'm sorry, you know."

"I know." I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't know if I even wanted to talk about it. My question would have been what kind of feelings he actually had toward me. But that was the thing... if it was something more than what we'd been working on, it would complicate everything. If he said it was nothing, I wouldn't have really believed him.

"I don't dislike Jesse," he said. "I just worry about you. I'm sorry if I insulted you."

"You didn't."

"So we're fine?"

"Of course." I worried about him. He didn't talk about what happened to his mom. "I have a question, though."

"Huh?" he asked. He seemed nervous.

"Why did Jesse pull you in? Why did he pull back the veil and... let you know what you knew?" It was a dangerous question. He seemed surprised by my direction.

"Oh. Well..." He sighed as he pulled back onto the road. "There was an infestation in my town. I was just about to leave for summer camp. I was sixteen. One of them had burrowed itself into my mother. I had her tied to a chair when he showed up. He seemed impressed that I'd managed to restrain her."

I waited for him to continue. He seemed to be thinking about it. Lost in it.

"He started to try to exorcise her, but... she broke loose before he got the chance. I... I had to handle it. Whatever was in her was almost as powerful as Jesse. And he was a bit younger then, inexperienced. He dropped this blade and I... I stabbed her. Under the ribs. It was a demon blade, and it killed both her and the thing in her. It was after that when he placed his hand on my forehead. I almost passed out from the pain. Ripping out an angel curtain can't be the easiest thing. Or the smoothest. But I remembered being kidnapped by a changeling when I was about eight. And then a couple of years later having Dean Winchester as a father-figure. And the demons that took my mother and I, despite Dean trying to save us. Jesse stuck with me for a few weeks. I think when he left, he probably went to find you again."

"I disappeared on him a lot in the beginning," I said. "I'm so sorry about your mom." He shrugged.

"I can't say it doesn't suck. But after that I would've come into the life whether Jesse had woken me up or not. I don't know what that would have done to us." To anyone else it would have sounded like he was saying she was better off dead, but I knew that wasn't quite what he meant.

"Well, still."

"Yeah. Anyway, what have we got?" We worked our way through the case as we usually did. Under false names and simple excuses, and in secret. We found the haunt, and the victim, and it wasn't long before I realized we would need Jesse's help. I called him without asking Ben. I needed them to work together again. They weren't happy about it when I arranged it, but they tolerated one another now. I don't know what it was. When they were good they were like brothers. And when they weren't... well they were still a bit like brothers. They understood that they were stuck together, even if they halfway hated one another. I didn't let them leave me behind, and before too long we caught up with the ghost.

I stood between Jesse and Ben, holding the shotgun level with my shoulder. I fired and the ghost dissipated, rock-salt was never fun for them. Of all the creatures in the world Jesse only ever struggled with ghosts. And perhaps very powerful angels. He was about as useful as any human man, with the exceptional knowledge that most hunters ran around with. Except that he could blip off to the grave site, or wherever the ghost's legacy was. Otherwise he was as vulnerable as I was. We had the upper hand for a few minutes but then the ghost managed to catch me unguarded. She lifted me and threw me back onto the ground, through the glass coffee table. My body screamed, but I struggled to get up again. My back was in pain and I barely rose to my feet again before her hand was closing around my throat. I tried to scream. And then Ben was there, with the salt. I collapsed, gasping, and felt a righteous pain in my wrist. It cracked internally and I felt it. My vision wavered. The spirit reappeared as Ben tried to help me up, I cried out when he put pressure on my arm and he loosened - but that was when the ghost rounded on him. A standing mirror slid across the room into Ben and shattered, slicing him. Other than a couple of tiny nicks along my arm I was fine - but Ben had caught the brunt of it. He had glass protruding from his back, his shoulders and he collapsed in front of me. I swung out with the iron knife, fighting through the pain. I knew Ben was injured. He didn't give in to pain very easily. I couldn't focus very well, however. My own pain was blinding and it wasn't like my healing - this was clearer and though the pain was just as true I could fight and ignore it in those journeys. A chest of drawers flew toward us, it collided heavily with Ben, and we were pinned for a moment as I struggled to move it back. I used all the strength I had in my hips to shift it, and Ben slumped fully to the ground. The ghost lunged for me, and then began to fray at the edges. Sparking and then lighting and suddenly she was a ball of flame. I sat next to Ben, stroking his hair. I told him it would be okay. I hoped it would.

I waited for Jesse. Ben bled. I couldn't hold out too much anymore. He had many broken bones, and I knew he had a massive injury to his head. Possibly his brain. I could sense that his life force was fading but I wasn't sure... I couldn't tell if I would be able to handle healing him. But I knew, if given a choice, I would save him even if it meant I was catatonic for the rest of my life. My pain didn't subside. But I couldn't ignore Ben's condition. He would die soon. Where was Jesse? I pulled out the glass I could find, Ben writhed a bit but never regained consciousness. I laid my head to his and let myself go under.


	5. Chapter 5

I awoke in a bed. It was dark. There were low voices in the room with me and I could see a silhouette of Ben and Jesse talking - framed by pale curtains faintly illuminated from the outside of the room. I shifted and my wrist practically screamed. I almost did. They heard me whimper, and both turned to me.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked softly. "Are you awake?"

"Wrist," I whispered in response. Jesse moved in, gently pulling back the blanket I'd been tucked into. He was as gentle as possibly but it didn't stop the gasp from escaping my mouth. It was heavily swolen and I felt as though I couldn't move it at all.

"Hospital?" Jesse asked. Ben shrugged.

"No," I said. "Ice."

"I really think you need a hospital," Jesse said. "I wish I could heal you like you heal us."

"Ice," I repeated. "Set it. Pain pills, ice." I was breathing through my teeth.

"Illicit pain pills?"

"I'm allergic to codene," I told them.

"So that's a yes," Ben said, straightening. "I'll do that. You go get ice and maybe setting supplies. At least wrap." They left in different directions. And I lay crumpled and broken in my bed. My back still ached but I knew that my wrist was either broken or dislocated. I was trying to sleep through the pain when I felt a sudden significant chill. I read the clock. 11:11. I would have smiled if I wasn't so positive there was a spirit in the room with me. I heard the groan. I chose not to ignore it, I slid out of bed, careful of my wrist, and reached for Ben's bag. But the thing attacked before I could get to the salt. I managed to grab his iron knife.

I fell against the wall, favoring my injured wrist. There were faint tears in my eyes as I swung the iron blade and the ghost left again. He was furious. Huge. And I was weak. Weakening. I'd healed Ben back from the brink of death less than three hours ago. Now I was being tossed around by Spectre the Giant. My pain was invisible to it. He was just angry, ravenous and furious. I waved the blade blindly. The darkness and the pain and the hectic nature of spirits was simply dizzying for me. Tears streamed down my face in the hotel room. He was getting smarter, however, and the mirror that hung on the ceiling came crashing down around me. I had the time to duck my head and brace myself and though I could feel the glass catch in my hair I knew none of it sliced my skin. It came at me again, throwing me against the wall and just as I screamed Jesse appeared, a plastic bag with a pile of small pills. He threw salt at the ghost, and then drew me into the kitchen area, free of the glass. I'd invented a contraption when I'd first discovered ghosts. The first I made was a garden hose I filled with salt. Now, however, I would take hoolahoops and pierce them and pour salt into them. He taped it to the floor - he told me to stay. I was lost. I was scared. I was blind from the pain.

He left again, and returned with Ben practically under his arm. I was slumped in the floor. Confused and wild-eyed. Something strange was happening to me. The pain in my arm was radiating up and out. My head was spinning and my judgment was clouded so when Ben threw salt at the ghost, I emerged from my cicle and moments later I was promptly thrown, I bounced off of the bed and collapsed onto the ground. Yet more pressure on my wounded arm. I cried out. I was yanked to my feet by Ben, hauled across the room to the door. It was slammed shut before him. He backed me against the door frame, his hands splayed to protect me.

"Shit!" he murmured. He was still uninjured. He shot at the ghost and it disappeared again. He didn't move. He was concerned - watching and alert. The ghost rushed us, it flew into and through us and came around again. He stopped, raising his arms, and the temperature began to plummet. I could hear the glass in the bathroom freeze and shatter. I could feel the cold seeping into my bones. I shivered and then miraculously, thankfully, he began to flame. Jesse had found it. He found his remains and destroyed them. I began to weep. Relief and joy washed over me. Ben scooped me up, moving me out of the room and toward a car.

"We're going to a hospital," he spat roughly. "Jesse will handle everything else."

"I..." I was speaking through my teeth, now. "I don't understand." I think I blacked out. The next thing I was really aware of we were walking into ER. It wasn't long. It was surprisingly empty, and then I was being examined by a nice doctor. Ben came to me shortly after, the doctor had decided to admit me. Apparently I was showing signs of severe dehydration and exhaustion. He said I was sleep deprived, which seemed unlikely to me. But I couldn't really disagree. It was almost dawn when I fell asleep. I woke once, before nine, and saw Ben sleeping soundly in the chair. The next time I awoke Jesse was arriving.

"How's your wrist, Lor?" I waved my cast at him. He grinned. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Awesome." For a while after that things were normal. Jesse and Ben were good again, fine with each other, and with me. Maybe they'd talked about it while I was high on anaesthesia, but I was happy with it. And them.


End file.
